Kenya

The end of the year brings with it all sorts of compilations, lists and summaries of the good, the bad and the ugly of the year that’s coming to an end. And On Africa is no exception to this – see here the top-10 stories of 2009 (in English and in Spanish/español), and the ten photos that summarise 2010 (although without photos 😦 since the links broke when I transferred from Maneno to WordPress earlier this year and I have not fixed it yet…).

This year, I have compiled a list of the most viewed original posts written this year (according to WordPress). What this means is that the list excludes posts written in the past (the post most viewed this year is this one on Conguitos, a politically incorrect Spanish brand of sweets, written in march 2010). Also excluded are those posts that serve as self-promotion for pieces published for other media but to which I have made reference here.

So, whilst technically incorrect, the list makes this up in relevance, for these posts reflect better some of the most important news and stories in the African continent and beyond; with some exceptions – South Sudan independence, the war in Côte d’Ivoire (both these stories have op-ed pieces devoted to them and can be viewed on the “Other Work” section), as well as cultural notes. What is there includes: Zambia’s presidential election, Bin Laden’s death, Kenya’s invasion of Somalia and the “Arab spring” among others…

Enjoy these stories, leave below any comments you may have, and have a wonderful festive season and end of the year and beginning of 2012! Sigue leyendo →

We, Europeans, often feel frustrated at the way the EU – the most important and cohesive regional body in the world – is unable to punch its weight on international affairs. And all the more so at present, given our internal economic and political woes. However, when reading things like Catherine Ashton’s remarks following yesterday’s Foreign Affairs Council, the surprising thing is that the EU is able to do anything at all. The Foreign Affairs Council discussed: Syria, Libya, Tunisia, the Common Security and Defense Policy, and the Horn of Africa. Here’s the extract on what Baroness Ashton had to say on the topic of the Horn: Sigue leyendo →

27 year old Kingwa Kamencu has just launched her bid to become Kenya’s President in next year’s elections.
Kamencu, a poet, winner of the Kenyatta Prize for Literature in 2007, was awarded the Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford in 2009. Now, the self-described “driven, passionate, intense, seeking soul” wants to become Kenya’s next (and first female) President.
And over 3,000 people support her Facebook group.

Taking the plunge greatly deserves an applause, and I wish her best of luck. The question is, on a notoriously fierce political arena like Kenya’s, does she stand a chance?

To help you decide, have a look at her recent interview with Citizen TV.

Often debates about international development (especially among practitioners) swiftly turn towards the shortcomings of the development system, the huge challenges ahead, and the question of whether it all matters. Among this talk, it is often forgotten that the ultimate purpose of development is to improve the lives of people.
Two terrible pieces of news coming from East Africa this weekend have provided a stark reminder that, very often, more development means not only better quality of life, but also more safety for the population and less likelyhood of things like this happenning:

Photo Reuters: Beatrice Spadacini
The death toll from Tanzania’s ferry disaster could significantly rise after it emerged there were more than 1,000 passengers aboard the vessel when it capsized last week, a senior Zanzibar official said on Monday.

Initial reports suggested the MV Spice Islander was carrying 800 people, well above the ferry’s 600 passenger capacity, when it sank in the east African nation’s worst maritime disaster for 15 years.

“We are expecting some more bodies between now, tomorrow or the day after. We managed to recover 197 bodies, but because the ship took more than 1,000 people, we expect more bodies,” Zanzibar’s second vice-president, Seif Ali Iddi, told Reuters.

More than 600 passengers were rescued from the ferry and the vice president of the semi-autonomous archipelago said he does not expect any more survivors to be found.

and

Kenyan police find 75 bodies in slum firePhoto: REUTERS/via Reuters TV
At least 75 bodies have been recovered after petrol that had spilled into an open sewer caught fire and sent a wave of flame through a densely populated slum in the Kenyan capital, police said on Monday.

Kenyan media said more than 100 people were burnt to death and a similar number were taken to hospital. Police said it was proving difficult to establish the exact number of dead among the charred remains.

Residents said petrol spilled from a fuel depot owned by the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) and ran into a sewage dyke that runs under the slum, known as Sinai. The petrol ignited, causing an inferno.

Two incidents which – at least in Spain – have got almost no media attention despite the terrible loss of lives (at least 320 people), proving again how cheap African lives have become in the present world, and which could have been easily prevented if safety measures and quality controls had been in place. Something that requires economic and political development, and more accountability to those responsible for this.

With the ongoing Libyan civil war and famine in the Horn, it is good to remember that there are plenty of positive things coming out of the African continent. And not only things which show that “Africa is the future” (although indeed it is…), but also things that show that there are many ways in which the present is African (and it has been so for a while!).
Last week provided us with two important reminders of one thing at which African countries – most notably Kenya and Ethiopia – excel: long-distance running.
First, last Saturday The Prince of Asturias Award for Sport was announced, and it went to Haile Gebrselassie, according to the jury,

for his sporting and human excellence. Considered the best distance runner of all time, his own people called him “Naftanga, the chief”. Raised on a farm, he had to travel twenty kilometres each day to school, a circumstance that served as his training and influenced the way he runs: with his left arm crooked as if still holding his schoolbooks. He always ran the most demanding of races with a permanent smile on his face. Right up to the end of his career, he has been a myth, challenging his own legend. The athlete is also involved in humanitarian and mediation work in the many conflicts that have raged for years in Ethiopia.

Haile Gebrselassie, born in Arssi (Ethiopia) in 1973

And then on Sunday, the 2011 World Athletics Championships concluded in Dageu (South Korea). This is the final standing at the medal table:
It is not very often that one sees an African country coming third in world standings, only behind the US and Russia.
As well as the silver medal won by South Africa’s Caster Semenya (about whom this blog wrote one of its firsts posts), and Botswana’s first gold medalist, Amantle Montsho, Ethiopia and, especially Kenya, had an impressive performance.

Amantle Montsho and Allyson Felix during 2011 World championships Athletics in Daegu

Never actually got down to finish posting more entries after my visit to Nairobi back in April/May. One of the reasons for this was that, among other things, I was busy putting together some of the insights I got during the visit and the interviews I has there into a publication for FRIDE. This was centred of the role wich new technologies are playing in helping a new “generation” of activists and organisations promote better governance and push for democratic consolidation.This is the teaser:

Supporting Africa’s new civil society: the case of Kenya

The spread of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and other socio-economic dynamics are contributing to the formation of a new Kenyan civil society. This includes potentially key drivers of democratisation which remain largely invisible to donors. International actors need to re-examine their engagement with civil society in order to support these emerging organisations which may be essential to achieve real democratic consolidation in Kenya and the rest of Africa.

The policy brief, was finally published a couple of weeks ago, and I passed it on to some people on Twitter and via email; some got back with their views. This is for example what Robert commented:

You need to take note that this years budget will have 13% component of external borrowing (from 5-10% component in the policy brief). Institute of Economic Affairs does provide concise info on the economic front. This is their site

Bunge la Wananchi is certainly something we need to watch out. i would be interested to know if they will be competing in next elections under independent candidates. I have had discussions with some of their members BUT I tend to think there are some of them who have socialist ideals. Hope you have contact on that end. I would be interested to know what is their end game

Recently also the new Kenyan Open Data Initiative platform (which I mention on the brief but assumed would take longet to be up and running to be up and running) has been launched, which has generated plenty of comment from White African & Kenyangriot among others. These are extremely exciting times regarding ICTs and governance in Kenya, so I woud be extremely interested to get any comments on the policy brief, or ICTs generally from Kenyans and other people interested on the topic of new technologies.

The full text (pdf) of the policy brief “Supporting Africa’s new civil society: the case of Kenya”, can be accessed here.